Beauty Confessions #1 - Frazzled Nails

You are in the car and called to an emergency meeting with an important client.  Your nails are absolutely atrocious.  Polish is beyond chipped, cuticles are dry and hangnail-ly.  You need a manicure - STAT!  What do you do?

The evidence.

If you are anything like me, you'll attend the meeting and hide your nails the best you can!   I did have a bottle of varnish in the car (true beauty enthusiast), but was concerned that if I slapped on a thin coat I would smell like a paint factory during the meeting.

When I arrived home that evening I removed the remnants of polish from my nails, and vowed to never let my nails be so unkempt ever again.


Have you committed a beauty crime this week?  We'd love to hear your confessions...

Ulta3 Nail Colour - Mojito

This nail colour is a long way from a nail colour I would normally wear, so when I was unpacking my IMATS / ABBW goodies, I immediately applied two coats.  I could have improved the final look with one more coat to cover my very white nail tips.

I have several Ulta3 polishes in my collection already, as I had received several as giveaways when ordering from an Australian online store.   They last quite well for a budget brand, and I would recommend them for their range of fun colours.  I recently saw a big display of this brand of polish for sale at La Manna supermarket in Essendon Fields for just $2.95.  Baaaargain!

After two days of wear, I decided to remove the polish before an executive meeting.  Not sure my Kermit fingers would have been appropriate given the topic of the day!

French Manicure with Gel Nails

Recently I had gel nails applied with a view to having instantly pretty nails.  It worked!

I have had acrylic nails applied once before and was thrilled with the results, but after my first 'refill' I decided that they were way too much trouble.  Sitting still in a nail salon for an hour every other week was much more than I was willing to commit to.  However a few years on I found myself going back for another session.  A set of gel nails with tips in a french manicure set me back AUD $50.  Refills will cost AUD $35 if I decide to maintain these nails.

I am not a big fan of the process.  The filing and picking at my cuticles was really annoying, and the smell in the salon was overpowering.  The service in the salon was not one that encouraged relaxation, as I was shuffled from one assistant to another during the application process.  Putting the process aside, I was once again very happy with the results.



Here are the nails just applied.  The assistant described this as 'little bit square, little bit round'.  You may also hear it referred to as 'squoval'.  These were a little to square for me, and I immediately noticed a deterioration in the accuracy of my keyboard skills.

Just applied

The photos below are my nails after two weeks of wear.  I filed the square edges down and was thrilled that my nails still look lovely two weeks in.  As the manicure was a french polish, the regrowth is a natural colour and not obvious.

Two weeks later, square edges filed down

Two weeks later, square edges filed down

I don't believe I will refill these nails.  I am more likely to continue filing them down and eventually soak them off with acetone.  However if I had a special event coming up I would consider having another set applied.

Nail Polish - Chanel Paradoxal #509

Here is the polish I am wearing today, snapped on a cloudy overcast day.  Just one coat will do with this formulation, however for a more professional look two coats and a top coat will ensure this look lasts all week.

I was just watching a YouTube video by Ginabinawina99 who had found a dupe for this polish from the Revlon range.  For beauty on a budget check out Revlon Perplex. I am not sure if it is available in Australia, but if you find it let me know in the comments below!

Until next time...